Phonographic notation



nnI STaTns .IOIIN S. (ABIIBELL, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

PHONOGRAPHlC NGTATlON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,120, dated December251, 1888.

* Application led January 8, 1887. Serial No. 223,762. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN S. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Phonographic Notation, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to the art of writing or printing' language, itsprim ary object being to provide a system of notation adapted for useupon the ordinary type-writers by which spoken words and sentences maybe printed in abbreviated forni, thereby facilitating the recording ofspeech directly in and by the use of such type-writers in lieu ofemploying or dinary systems of phonography by hand-writing.

The geiieral object of my invention is therefore to provide a system ofrecording language in the use of the type-writers which shall lessen thelabor of the operator7 but which shall enable the operator to recordspeech directly from dictation at the ordinary speed of vocal delivery.

To this end my invention consists in a system of abbreviation `in whichthe letters, signs, and characters ordinarily placed, or` which may beprovided on type-writing machines, are employed lwith certain additionalpowers or functions and in a new relation, whereby language may berecorded in the ordinary printed characters, but in abbreviated form.

In order to describe and explain the system most conveniently with aview to ils adaptation to the existing conditions and Vln notions of theordinary type-writer mechanism, I append to this sirecilicaiion, in the'lorm ol" a drawing, certain i llnstrations or li} ;'11res"7 numericallydesignated, of the principal marks, positions, letters, numerals, andsigns employed in carrying out the system of notation, together with abrief extract from the wellknown soliloquy from Shakespeares play ofHamletf7 as produced upon the typewriter by my system.

The numerically-desienated ligl'lrcs of the drawing will be used as ameans ot' reference and illustration in the course of the followingdescription, it being impracticafblc lwillniut much useless repetitionto describe in the ordinary brief the contents of the drawing separatelyas a whole.

In carrying out my invention as practically adapted to and used in theoperations of typewriting I classify t-he vowel and dipthong sounds ofthe English language into three positions, representing sound-values,and employ three characteristic signs or marks in connection with theessential letter or letters of a word or syllable to indicate theposition or characteristic vowel or dipthong sound heard in pronouncingsuch word or syllable, according to a predetermined system ofclassification of such sounds. For present purposes I have adoptedsubstantially the system of classification commonly used in phonography,as follows: First position sound: a in armg a in at; o in 10st, o in011; au in aught; oi or oy as in boil orboy; ou in plough, i in pike.Second position sounds: a in ateg e in nietg o in note; u in up Thirdposition sounds: e in feetg i in ping oo in food; u in putg en in feudgiew in view The marks or signs indicating these positions I termindicators and by form and position relative to the letters of the wordor syllable they denote the vowel or dipthong sound to be given inconnection with such letters (as based upon the classificationdescribed) according to the context. Thus, the character V (that is, theparenthesis mark used horizontally convex downward) placed before andopposite the upper limit of the letter or letters, as shown in Figure lof the drawings, as an indicator' of tlie-rst position, and denotes thatthe accented vowel or dipthong heard in the word or in. connection withthe letter, sign, tigure, mark, or cliaracter to which it is prefixed isa vowel or dipthoixg fsound of the first position. For example, Vrin(ar1n,) Vt (aught,) Vmt (mat.) The character (that is, the short dash)placed before and 0pposite the middle limit of the letters or letter, asshown in of the drawings, is an indicator of the second position, anddenotes that the accented vowel or dipthong heard in the word or incimnec'livion with the letter, sign, tigurc, mark, or character to whichit is prefixed is a vowel or dipthongsouiul of the second position. Forexample, -l (ale,) -nt (note.) The character A (that is, the parenthesismark used horizontally, convex upward) placed before and opposite thelower limit of the letters or letter, as shown in Fig. 3 of the srs IOO

drawings, is an indicator of the third position, and denotes that theaccented vowel or dipthong heard in the word or syllable or inconnection with the sign, ligure, mark, or character t which it isprefixed is a vowel or dipth ong sound of the third position. Forexample, ea in eatg oo in f'tood; iin pim oo in foot;7 iew in view as,for example, ^ft (feet,) ^fd (feed or feud.)

The use of the indicators, as above explained, while it constitutes oneof the important fea-tures of my invention would be incomplete as asystem without the addition of certain other features,whieh I willproceed to explain. The first of these consists in employing, inconnection with the indicators, certain letters, figures, signs, and cha'acters which have no power ot' their own to express sounds in adistinctive relation in which an arbitrary function of sound expressionmay be given th ein-to wit:

First. C, as illustrated in Fig. l, of the drawings, to which isassignedthe sound and power of ch, as in check, or tch, as in 1natch,7 and whichmay be named chay Second. $5, (the dollar sign,)y illustrated Y in Fig.5 of the drawings, to which is assign ed the sound and power of theletter n, as heard in ink, or ng,` as heard in spring, and which may becalled ing Third. n, (the underscore,) illustra-ted in -Figl 6 of thedrawings, to which is assigned the sound and power of con, cum, co1n,0011, or cog, as the context may require, and may be used alone orplaced under another letter or character. In the latter case it prefixesits characteristic sound to that of the character under which ift iswritten.

Fourth. V (the first position indicator) illustrated in Fig. 7 of thedrawings, prefixed to any one of the indicators proper, or wh'enterminatingl a word (indicated by the ordinary spacing' left after it)shall have the force of to, too, or two. For example, V d I to die or toadd; V- l to-(flay, At" I into. A

A third feature oli' the complete system consists in en'lploying certainfigures (numerals or digits) in connection with the indicators, for theexpression of ceri ain sounds arbitrarily assigned. 'lhus:

The numeral 2, illustrated in Fig. S of the drawings, ha-s the sound and power of th, as in thinln i The numeral 3, illustrated in Fig. 9 ot'the drawings, has the hard sound ot' th, as in breathe, thou.

The numeral 4, illustrated in Fig. l0 of the drawings, has the sound andpower of s, as in sure, or sh, as in shun lThe numeral 5, illustrated inFig. lll of the drawings, has the sound and power of z, as in azure,7 ors hard, as in vision.

The numeral 6, illustrated in Fig. l2 of the drawings, has the sound andpower of ter, tr, orthr, and der or dr, as in truth, through, drake.

rlhe numeral 7, illustrated in Fig. 13 of the drawings, has the soundand power of st, sd, or zt, Zd, as in strengtln &c.

The numeral S, illustrated in Fig. ll of the drawings, has the sound andpower of s or z combined with tr or dr, as str in street.

The immoral. ll, illustrated in Fig. l5 of the drawings, has the soundand power of shun, (tion, sion,) as in motiom mansion, &c.

ln the use of numerals for arbitrary-sound expression, it should be alsoexplained that when the numerals stand alone or in isolated groups, orstanding at least one letter-space from the malgin, they representsimply thei r numerical power; but when used adjacent to other letters or ind i cati n g-marks th ey have 1 h e phonographic power and functionbefore explained. `Likewise all the letters of the alphabet have theirproper naines and sounds, except as before explained, with the exceptionthat g always has the hard sound, and with the further exception thatthe letter a, written with the indicator of the first position, thus: fa shallbe read as an or and, while the letter e, written with theindicator of the third position, thus: e shall be read as the or thee ltwill be observed that in the arrangement of the foregoing system l haveselected as indicating marks and characters those which already exist intype-writing machines for the ordinary purpose of notation, and it willbe found in applying the system that the additional functions and valuesassigned to certain of them are such as to avoid any confusion oruncertainty in the application of these additional functions and values.The additional object in view is to avoid the necessity of increasingthe number of keys and characters used in the ordinary type-writers inorder that the system 'may be conveniently engrafted, both in its mentaland mechanical aspects, upon the ('mlinary type-writer operations.

Byy way of illustrating, the mode of operation of my improved system Ihave given as Fi g. 1G of the drawin an illustration of an extract fromllamlets Soliloquy, taken from Shakespeares play of Hamlet A detailedexplanation would be prolix and unnecessary.

Full text To be, or not to be, that is the question. Abbreviation: ATAb, "r/nt ^t^b, V3l; ^z ^e qsou Abbreviation:^T^b,"r"11t^t;\b,\3t^z^e-qsoit Full text: Whether tis nobler in themind, to suffer Abbreviation: HWS jtz -nblr ^n Ae Vmud ^t --sfrAbbreviation: -HwBAtzv-nbhkn^e"1nnd^t-sl`r Fulltext: The slings andarrows of outrageous fortune, Abbreviation: Ae Aslz Va Vrz Vv Vtrjs`vf1-en, Abbreviation: ^e^s1zvavrzvvvtrjsvfrcn,

Full text: Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, Abbreviation: VrAt tk Vrmz -gnz a ,s Vv -ti-blz, l Abbreviation: Vrt-tk'mz--gnza,`s"v-trblz,

Full text: And, by opposing end them? to die, to sleep. Abbreviation:VA, Vb -pz$ -nd -3xn ^t Vd, At slp. Abbreviation: VA,"b-pz--nd---3inif^t"d, At slp.

Suffice it to say that in addition to the drawings, Fig'. lG, there isgiven. above, first, the

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full line as ordinarily printed; second, the sound abbreviations beneatheach word or syllable without reference to spacing; third, theabbreviation correctly written according to the system hereinbefore setforth.

In line 3 ot' each group it will be observed that the indicators areused in the spaces ordinarily occurring between words, and this I regardas an important feature of the system in its application totype-writing, inasmuch as in type-writing the spacing requires adistinct act of striking the spacing-key, which is thus saved. Theindicators, when used as such, always denote the beginning ot a word aswritten, and no uncertainty or confusion can arise.

l claim as iny invention and desire to secure by Letters ot' the VUnited Statesl. The improvement in the art of recording speech bytyIm-writing, consisting ot' abbreviating words and syllables byprinting .first a prefix-niark (ilesignating the class or group to whichthe leading vowel sound of the word or syllable vis assigned, andfollowing said mark with the leading consonantal letters of such word orsyllable in ordinary close succession itroin lett to right.

2. The improvement in the art ot' recording` speech by type-writing,consisting in preiixing in the ordinary spacing between words anarbitrary mark, indicating' by torni or position, or both, the leadingvowel sound heard in connection with the consonantal. lettersimmediately followingl to constitute a word or syllable.

The system or inethod of abbreviating printed speech, consisting',essentially, in writing or printing the consonantal skeleton of a wordor syllable in ordinary line succession. from left to right, prefixed byan arbitrary niark, indicating the general character of the vowel. soundof said word or syllable, said niark occupying the ordinary spacingbetween words, substantially as set it'orth.

ln testimony whereotl l have hereunto set my hand in the presence ot'two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN CAMPBELL.

Vitnesses:

L. M. HosEA, C. D. KEER.

